EXPERT MODELLERS SHOW YOU HOW
BUILD A CLASS 06 FROM A METAL KIT
HOW TO
Dave Lowery recounts the joy of building a kit from the highly respected Mercian Models range, offering various hints and tips along the way.
PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVE LOWERY, GEORGE DENT
Apart from the numerous PR Model Railway Products (PRMRP) diesel and electric locomotive kits I’ve been building recently (as featured in various issues of Model Rail), something a little different recently landed on my workbench: a Class 06 diesel shunter kit.
The kit is made up primarily of etched nickel silver and brass components, plus a clutch of whitemetal castings. A motor, gears and wheels all had to be sourced separately, along with my preferred choice of spring contact pick-ups, with the Slater’s range providing all the necessary elements.
The locomotive kit is from the highly regarded Mercian Models range which, following the death of Trevor Cousens in 2022, is currently in limbo. Hopefully, CSP/ Sans Pareil Models will be re-launching these kits in the future, so look out for updates on the CSP website (see panel).
In the meantime, unbuilt kits regularly appear on the second-hand market, often with sets of wheels and a mechanism thrown in, at decent prices, so it’s also worth checking with dealers or online auction sites.
Construction of the kit proved straightforward, aided by the helpful instructions, and was achieved using a ‘regular’ 60/40 grade of solder and a decent high ‐temperature soldering iron/station. As seen in the demonstration, I also made use of a mini butane-powered blowtorch, which can be more effective at quickly heating larger areas of metal to a consistent temperature. This helps greatly when laminating several layers of brass together or when working with thicker brass parts, such as axle bearings.